Not So Easy (When Your Heart's On The Line)
by Clockwork-Winchester
Summary: Sometimes, what you believe to be unthinkable turns out to be the only thing that makes sense. Post 2x23.
1. Dreams Are Better Than Reality

_Oliver felt his lips curve into a smile, as he leaned down on the mattress, the sheets having ended up in a heap at the edge of the bed, and long since forgotten. A hand, considerably smaller than his own, was drawing lazy circles across his chest. The person whose hand belonged to was lying next to him, long hair tickling his neck. _

''_Mmm,'' he sighed contentedly. ''This is nice.'' _

_A mumble of agreement was audible from his left, and the hand not currently on his chest, left the pillow and proceeded to stroke his cheek. Oliver caught it in his own, and brought it to his lips, lightly kissing the knuckles, which elicited a satisfied sound from their owner. _

_It was so peaceful. No worries, no emergencies, no one who needed him. Just him and his girl, curled up next to him, her mere presence being enough to set him completely at ease. He could easily fall asleep here, like that. _

_It wasn't until he felt the hand on his chest shoving him, that he realized he had said the last part out loud. _

''_Fall asleep, huh?'' she said, in a mock-affronted tone. _

''_I didn't mean-'' he tried to say, but he was cut off by her finger coming to rest on his lips, indicating that he was to remain silent. His tongue, however, seemed intent on showing that it could be used for more than just talking. It darted out, until it came in contact with her finger and he sucked lightly on the digit. A slow smile crept on her lips as he went on, and soon her finger was replaced by her mouth and her tongue joined his as they kissed. His hands came up, intending to get tangled up in her hair, too inviting as they fell around her shoulders and on her back, golden strands illuminated by the sunlight that was streaming through the windows. Apparently, though, she had something else in mind, for she pulled away (far too soon in his opinion), and just hovered there, her face inches away from his. _

''_Fall asleep,'' she said again, and this time he could see the mischievous glint in her eyes, for once not obscured by glasses. Not that he minded her wearing glasses. In truth, he preferred her like that…_

_And he promptly lost his train of thought as she said, her voice no more than a whisper, yet seductive all the same, ''Well, we'd better do something about that,'' and proceeded to kiss her way down his chest, slowly, but no less intently. _

_Oliver let out a low moan as she continued her descend on his body. She kissed his navel, the inside of his thighs, yet refused to touch him where he craved her the most. She seemed to enjoy making him squirm. _

_He tried to protest and she merely laughed. ''Patience is a virtue, Oliver,'' she said, a smirk on her lips. Oliver groaned and let his head fall back on his pillow in defeat. Apparently that was all she needed, for next thing he knew, his hands were clutching the sheet next to him as she licked a trail up and down his cock. He let out an embarrassingly loud sound, which he hoped she took as a sign to go on. Indeed she did, and a delicious heat enveloped him when she opened her mouth fully, her tongue swiveling around the head before darting further down. It wasn't long before he had to prevent his hips from bucking up with each stroke of her tongue. He had given up on trying to be silent and she hummed as he moaned, the reverberations feeling delicious on his cock and bringing him closer to the edge. _

_Suddenly he felt her withdrawing and despite his protest, her mouth left his aching cock and proceeded to tell him to wake up. Oliver just looked at her in confusion. The voice coming out of her mouth was familiar, yet it definitely not hers. _

''_Oliver, come on,'' she said again, still in that other voice. He knew it, though. In fact it sounded like… _

'Oliver, wake up, man.'' _Diggle_?

Oliver woke up with a jolt, which resulted in him losing his fight with gravity and falling off his chair. Disoriented, he looked around for a few seconds before realizing he was on the floor. Diggle towered over him, his lips pursed as if trying to contain his laughter.

''Diggle? Wha-what's going on?'' he asked as he got up, more unsteadily than he would have liked.

''You fell asleep,'' Diggle replied, sounding much more amused than Oliver felt the situation called for. So, he fell asleep. So what? Yesterday had been a tiring day. He said as much to Diggle, only to have him laugh out loud.

''So, I'd hazard a guess you had a particularly interesting dream,'' Diggle said, still grinning widely and Oliver's next words got stuck in his throat as memories of what had occupied his thoughts while asleep floated to the centre of his mind. He racked his brain for an explanation, or even better, a sarcastic remark, but came up blank.

''Well… whatever,'' he said finally, turning his back on the other man. _Good job, Queen. Real smooth. _''Why did you wake me up, anyway?''

''Roy and Felicity are on their way over as we speak. I thought it'd be better if they weren't greeted by the sight of _the Arrow_ snoring on a chair, however charming it may be.''

''Right, yeah,'' Oliver said, determined to ignore the way his heart started beating faster at the mention of a particular name. ''Wait- I was not snoring!''

Diggle didn't bother with an answer, just continued laughing and Oliver turned his back on him again, willing himself to relax. Even if he had dreamed what he thought he had, well it was hardly the first time. And besides, there was no way for Diggle to know what he had dreamed of. The man was a great fighter, but Oliver thought he would have noticed if he suddenly developed the ability to read minds.

''Oh, and Oliver?'' Diggle called out and waited till the other man was facing him, before going on, ''Next time you dream of Felicity, you might want to avoid saying her name out loud. Friendly advice.''

Oliver sputtered, but was saved from having to answer that-particularly disturbing- comment by the arrival of the rest of their team.

As they entered the room, Oliver did his best to appear nonchalant, though after a good look at both of them, he doubted either paid him any particular attention. Felicity looked extremely happy, bestowing sunny smiles at him and Diggle and the rest of the room in general, while Roy seemed to barely notice where he was, not to mention if there were other people around.

''Well, now that we're all here,'' Oliver started, glad to find his voice normal, but was interrupted before he could continue.

''I have great news!'' Felicity announced cheerfully at the same time as Diggle said seriously, ''Bad news.''

''Oh.'' Felicity's smile seemed to dim at Diggle's words. ''What's wrong?''

''Nah, you go first,'' he told her. ''Good news are always preferable.''

''Okay, then, if you're sure…'' she waited until he nodded and then she said, smile still firmly etched on her face, ''Barry is awake!''

_Oh._

''Felicity, that's great,'' Diggle said, shaking Oliver out of his stupor.

''It really is,'' he said, feeling genuine pleasure at the news. His jealousy issues aside (not that he would admit that to anyone), Barry had been a pretty great kid, and it would have been a shame for him to remain in a coma for the rest of his life.

Felicity just nodded at both of them. ''Well, we don't really know much about his situation, other than he's awake and doesn't seem to have any lingering effects from the coma-so far. I tried to find out more, but Cisco said they didn't know anything more now and that he'll let me know the moment they do. And I know they're doing their best and all, and Barry will be okay, of course-''

''Felicity,'' Oliver cut her off.

''Sorry,'' she said, looking a bit sheepish. ''I'm rambling again, aren't I?''

''It's okay,'' he assured her, and his smile was genuine. ''We're all glad Barry's awake.''

''Yeah,'' she nodded. ''So, I was thinking, maybe I could go up to Central City, just to see how he's doing. Now that he can actually see and hear me, you know.''

Oliver immediately balked at that, but he didn't know how to say no without sounding-and being-a complete jerk.

''I'm afraid we need you here, Felicity,'' Diggle said and Oliver felt instantly grateful. It wasn't that he even jealous, not really. It was just, after everything that had happened with Slade, he felt better knowing Felicity was close to him, that he would be able to protect her. The image of Slade holding a sword against her throat was not going to be easily forgotten.

''Why, what is it?'' She turned to Diggle at once, her voice a mix of worry and disappointment. ''Is it your bad news?''

Diggle gave a nod. ''It might be nothing,'' he told them, though his expression made it quite clear he didn't think so. ''Lyla told me that A.R.G.U.S. heard a rumor, about a Japanese millionaire who has, somehow, found access to Mirakuru.'' He said the last word slowly and Oliver was aware all eyes were on him.

''That's impossible,'' he said, unwilling to even entertain the theory; not after everything he had been through.

''It's unlikely, I'll grant you, but not impossible,'' Diggle replied. ''I'm sorry, Oliver. I know this is probably the last thing you want to hear, but Lyla was adamant that their intel was correct.''

''How did A.R.G.U.S. even find out about it? Assuming it's true,'' Felicity asked, worry having replaced the happy expression on her face.

Diggle shrugged. ''Lyla refuses to tell me,'' he said and his voice held clear signs of annoyance. ''Apparently Waller ordered everyone to keep quiet about it, and since I'm not a member of A.R.G.U.S…'' he trailed off, shaking his head.

''How is Lyla? She must be excited about the baby,'' Felicity said, in an attempt to lighten the atmosphere. However, it obviously didn't have the desire result, since Diggle shrugged once again, his expression darkening slightly. ''She's fine,'' he said curtly, apparently not wishing to elaborate.

''What's this millionaire's name?'' Oliver asked, effectively directing Diggle's attention to himself.

'' Masaru Sano. Apparently it means 'victorious'.''

''This could turn out quite literal, if he has the Mirakuru,'' Felicity mumbled.

''So what do you want us to do?'' Roy said, speaking for the first time since he arrived.

''Lyla says Waller has decided to wait until they find out more, before she makes a move,'' Diggle said. Oliver was about to protest against that idea, when Diggle went on, ''But I thought you'd want to do something about it anyway,'' he finished, directing an knowing gaze at Oliver.

''Of course I want to do something!'' Oliver declared. The more he thought about it, the more the idea that someone else out there possessed any Mirakuru seemed plausible, and quite frankly, it scared him. A lot.

''That's what I thought,'' Diggle inclined his head. ''So, I did some digging. Turns out this Sano was married to a woman from Starling and has spent several years here. He moved away after she died and is now living in L.A., but his daughter decided to come back here after she finished college.''

''Okay, so we need to find his daughter, see if she knows anything. Do you know her name?'' Oliver said decisively.

''Her name's Naomi, but I don't think a house call is necessary.''

''And why not?''

''Because it's her birthday in a week and her father is throwing her quite an elaborate party, right here in Starling. It's supposed to be a can't-miss event.''

''And how exactly does that help us?'' Roy said.

''I've got it!'' Felicity exclaimed, interrupting whatever Diggle was about to say. ''I knew I remembered the name from somewhere.'' While they were talking, Felicity had turned on one of the computers and was now pointing triumphantly at the screen, which depicted a young Japanese girl in a graduation gown. ''Naomi Sano. She graduated from MIT the same year as me,'' she explained.

''Are you still in contact with her?'' Oliver asked.

Felicity shook her head. ''We were never that close, and after graduation we lost touch. I didn't even know she was in Starling. _But, _I can find her phone number, maybe give her call and see if I can secure an invitation for her party. That's why you mentioned her birthday, isn't it, John? You want us to see if we can find out anything useful at the party.''

''Exactly,'' Diggle answered, smiling at Felicity.

''You're not going alone,'' Oliver said, his voice making it more of an order.

Felicity directed her gaze at him. ''What do you think's going to happen? They're going to open fire at a birthday party? It's a _party, _Oliver. The scariest thing will be having to deal with all those girls who will be sucking up to Naomi because of her father's money. It was a nauseating sight to behold, even in college, especially since Naomi relishes in it.'' She rolled her eyes as Diggle snorted.

''I don't care, _Felicity. _You're not going alone and that's it,'' he said and his gaze traveled across the room, as if daring any of them to defy him.

Indeed, Felicity had just opened her mouth, presumably to disagree when Diggle cut in.

''Actually, Oliver has a point. It'll be better if someone else goes with you, if only to cover all our bases.''

''I'll go,'' Oliver said and knew he sounded way too eager the moment the words escaped his mouth, if Diggle's little irritating smirk was any indication.

Felicity let out a sigh. ''Fine,'' she said, ''if you're going to be all caveman about it.'' Oliver tried to protest, but she simply kept talking. ''I still have to contact Naomi though, and see if she'll actually give me an invite. Honestly, I'll be shocked if she even remembers my name.'' And with that she turned her back to them and got to work, searching for Naomi's number.

For a couple of minutes silence reigned, interrupted only by Felicity's motions at the computer. Oliver let his gaze wander around the room, mentally making a note of all the work that still had to be done, in order to make this place not only habitable, but also useful as a base of operations. Eventually his eyes landed on Roy, sat on the edge of a table, quite removed from the rest and looking ill at ease.

''Roy?'' he said and the boy's eyes snapped to him. ''Is everything alright?''

''What? Yeah, yeah everything's fine,'' Roy replied, a bit too quickly for Oliver's liking.

''Are you sure?'' Diggle asked this time. ''Cause you've barely said two words all this time.''

''I said I'm fine, okay? Mind your own business!'' Roy snapped. As soon the words were out of his mouth, however, he seemed to lose whatever fight he had in him, for he just slumped back on the table and made sure to avoid everyone's gaze.

Oliver exchanged a glance with Diggle, both of them seemingly not knowing how to approach Roy when he was like that.

''I-I have something to tell you,'' Roy said after a while, his tone reluctant and his gaze trained somewhere over Oliver's left shoulder.

Oliver looked intently at the boy in front of him, waiting. His mind had started racing, conjuring up numerous scenarios about what it could be, from Roy telling him that he was sick of him and this team and that he was going to rat him out to the cops, to him announcing that the effects from the Mirakuru had resurfaced.

''Well, what is it?'' he prodded when Roy remained silent.

Roy seemed to be struggling with himself for a moment, before coming to a decision and digging a piece of paper out of his pocket. It looked like a handwritten note, folded again and again. Roy straightened it as best as he could and made to give it to Oliver. Only, he apparently regretted it the last second and drew his hand back awkwardly.

''This,'' he said in a low, reluctant voice, indicating the note clutched in his fist, ''it's from Thea.''

Oliver just stared at him. He was vaguely aware of Diggle straightening his pose and Felicity abandoning her search and coming to stand next to him, but his attention was focused on the words coming out of Roy's mouth.

''The day of the attack,'' Roy went on, in the same low voice, ''when Slade's soldiers were on the loose, you told me that she was safe because she was heading out of the city before that whole disaster had happened. But she wasn't.''

''What?'' Oliver asked sharply, fear rearing its ugly head inside him.

''I called her; she said she was at the train station and I asked her to meet me at my house, so I knew she would be safe. She wouldn't tell what had happened to her, only that she wanted to get out of here, out of Starling. And I promised her we would, right after I took care of one thing.'' No one had to ask what that thing was; they all knew.

''So, I came to help you and when I got back…she was gone.'' His voice was bitter now. ''Only thing left was this.'' He didn't have to give the note to Oliver; the man practically snatched it from Roy's hand.

The more he read, the stormier his expression grew until he got to the last line. Then, he threw it back at Ray, the paper landing harmlessly at his feet. ''She says she's never coming back!'' he shouted, quite unnecessarily, since Roy had probably memorized Thea's words by now. ''Why didn't you show this to me before? What the hell were you waiting for?''

''I didn't know what to do,'' Roy said, his voice seemingly getting lower as Oliver's became louder.

''Well, that's obvious,'' Oliver scoffed.

''Oliver!'' he heard Felicity say in what was probably a scolding tone, but he couldn't pay attention to that now.

''I thought she was safe and now you tell me that not only you knew she was back here, you let her leave for God-knows-where!''

''Yeah, because I was helping _you_!'' Roy shouted back, getting angry as well. ''I left her to come help you. If I hadn't, now we'd both be finally away from here!''

''Well, if it's such a burden for you to be here, _leave. _No one's holding you back. But _I _am going to find my sister.''

''How? Even she doesn't know where she's going! And what makes you think she wants to be found by you?'' Roy spat.

''Guys!'' Diggle shouted, his voice louder than the others's and successful in shutting them up. ''Is this really the best way to deal with this?''

His question went unanswered since both Oliver and Roy continued staring daggers at each other. Oliver only averted his eyes when he felt a light touch on his arm, comfortingly familiar.

''Oliver,'' Felicity whispered and his gaze locked with hers. Her eyes, her voice, her whole presence used to bring him peace, to ground him, yet now his mind was a mess, full of scrambled thoughts and it pained him to admit that this time not even she could help. He could see it in her whole posture, silently asking him to calm down, talk though this, promising that she would be by his side. He wished so hard that he could lean on her, let her carry some of his baggage for him, but he couldn't. He couldn't do this to her, not after all he had put her through, not when she deserved so much better. He couldn't.

''I need some air,'' he said and she withdrew her hand without being asked, her eyes sad as he turned to leave. He could feel her gaze following him all the way out.

* * *

**A/N: Well, after the finale we had, I couldn't not write something about Olicity. It was either this or rewatching the episode constantly, so I figured at least I'd be productive. I already know how the next chapters are going to play out and there's definitely going to be more Olicity, but I need to know if you guys like this enough and want me to continue. So, if you could leave me a review saying what you thought, it would really mean a lot to me :)**


	2. Are You Ready To Party

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to an awesome friend and fellow Olicity shipper, for being there to read the first drafts of the chapter and offer valuable ideas and tips. Also, since now I should most likely be sleeping instead of being on the internet, I'll keep this short. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favourited/followed this story! Hope you enjoy the next chapter. As always, reviews are greatly appreaciated ;)**

* * *

''Hey, Cisco, it's me… again. Um, I just wanted to know if there's any news about Barry, you know… If his situation has changed or something… Well. You know where to reach me it you want. Or, if Barry wants to talk to me, I'm always here. Right. So, I'll go now. Call me when you get this. Oh, it's Felicity! But, you probably knew that already. Heh. Okay, bye now. ''

_Beep. _

Felicity looked at the device in her hands and wanted to cringe from embarrassment. This was the fourth message she had left Cisco, and it was only 12 a.m. She considered deleting the message, maybe leaving something much less cringe-worthy in its place, but ultimately decided against it. If Cisco thought she was awkward and clingy, so be it. She could only hope that this way he'd be more motivated to keep her informed about Barry's situation; if only to escape the onslaught of messages on his phone.

Felicity shook her head. There was nothing to be done now, and one look at the clock was pretty effective in getting her to stop pacing and instead direct her footsteps towards the front door, after having collected her bag. She would have to hurry if she didn't want to be late. Oliver and John were probably already waiting for her, (but not Roy, and that sent the – familiar by now – pang of worry down her spine. None of them had seen Roy after the disaster that his giving Oliver Thea's note had been; the boy had stormed out shortly after Oliver and had been MIA ever since), and she didn't really welcome having to tell them the reason she was late. Not that they'd say anything; she knew both cared about Barry and Oliver hadn't made any of his stupid comments about her head being in Central City way too much like he was fond to, only enquiring about Barry's health whenever she brought the subject up.

Not that Oliver was exactly a chatterbox these days. Between working to set up the lair (although, honestly, she and John did most of heavy lifting there, with John literally lifting any heavy thing they needed and her being in charge of any and all electronic stuff), and having practically all-day meetings with Walter and the Board of Directors of Queen Consolidated to see what their next move concerning the company should be (Isabel Rochev dying had left the company without anyone on the lead; not that Felicity could find it in her to be all that sad about it), she barely even saw him, let alone had a proper conversation with him. If she really thought about it, the last actual, face-to-face conversation they had had had been after they had defeated Slade.

_I love you. _

Why did that have to pop into her head in the most inopportune times? Felicity shook her head once again and let out a groan as she realized that she had been sitting in her car for the past five minutes, staring ahead as her thoughts raced.

_I love you. _

She sat up straight and started the car, the knowledge that now she was definitely going to be late doing nothing to improve her mood. She turned on the radio and increased the volume, hoping it would keep any more traitorous thoughts from invading her mind.

_Do you understand?_

She should have known it wouldn't work.

* * *

By the time she reached her destination, her mood was considerably fouler, something which was not made any better by the fact that when she entered, Oliver raised his hand in a half-hearted wave to her general direction and promptly turned his back to her, his attention back to the phone currently next to his ear.

''What's up with him?'' Felicity asked John, whose greeting had thankfully been more enthusiastic, hoping she sounded simply curious and not like a thirteen-year-old who had been ignored by her crush.

''Don't mind him, he's been like that all day. There are some complications at the company.''

''Complications?' Felicity repeated, her grumpiness turning instantly into rising concern . ''Is it serious?''

''No, no, don't worry.'' Diggle reassured her, but he was prevented from explaining further by Oliver practically shouting to whoever was on the other end of the line.

''Do I have to- Yes, I understand it's important but… Fine, I'll do it… I said fine! Yeah, I'll come by tomorrow… _Fine! _'' He hung up and proceeded to throw the phone carelessly onto the nearby table, the force of it causing the small device to glide across the length of the table and end up balancing precariously on the opposite side.

Felicity turned her gaze toward Oliver as he approached them, dragging a hand tiredly across his face.

''Good, you're finally here,'' he told her.

_Finally? What was that supposed to mean? _He was no longer shouting, yet his tone still held some aggravation, which she felt had no reason to be directed at her. She wasn't _that_ late, after all. She opened her mouth to tell him exactly that, only to close it soundlessly when she truly took his appearance in. He looked bone-weary, with dark circles under his eyes and clothes that looked like they hadn't been changed for at least the last three days. Any grumbling thoughts vanished from her mind, an almost overwhelming wish to go up to him and give him a hug taking their place. She refrained, but only slightly, hoping instead that her news would bring him some comfort.

''I am,'' she replied. ''And I come bearing gifts! Or in this case, good news.''

She didn't miss the way his whole posture relaxed the minute she uttered the words _good news, _and she couldn't keep her lips from forming a small smile.

''Do tell,'' Oliver sat down in a chair and stretched his legs in front of him. The top two buttons from his shirt had come undone and Felicity found herself distracted by the tantalizing sliver of skin that was visible. She could easily imagine placing a kiss at the top of his chest, on her way lower… ''Felicity!'' Oliver's voice was raised and she jumped slightly in surprise.

''W-What?'' she asked. She had a very unfortunate suspicion that she was blushing.

''You said you had good news,'' John told her, his voice filled with poorly-concealed amusement, and in that moment Felicity was certain he knew exactly what she had been distracted.

''Right, yeah, I do.'' She cleared her throat, willing her mind to get rid of all inappropriate-not to mention highly improbable- thoughts. ''I finally managed to get in touch with Naomi this morning and I got us two invitations for her party tomorrow night.''

''That's great,'' Oliver told her with a smile. Her own smile widened, glad to see him more relaxed.

''Good job, Felicity,'' John congratulated her as well.

''Well, it wasn't all that easy. She kept saying that she didn't know if there were any invites left, if only I had called sooner she might have been able to do something, blah, blah, blah. Basically saying she didn't want to invite me, only more politely and with way too many words.''

''Then how did you-''

''Well, after about ten minutes of listening to her excuses getting more and more ridiculous, I just happened to mention that you would be with me.'' She rolled her eyes at Oliver. ''Apparently these were the magic words, cause the moment she realized what I had said, she practically fell over herself to let me know she would do anything in her power to get us the invitations, since '_the _Oliver Queen wishes to grace my party with his presence''' She said the last words in a high-pitched voice, snickering as she recalled Naomi's reaction.

''It's good to see my presence is appreciated,'' joked Oliver.

''I bet it's not just your presence she wants to appreciate,'' Diggle told him with an exaggerated wink.

''Of course, I told her you're mine!'' Felicity exclaimed right then, only to have her hand fly to her mouth as she realized what she had just said. Both Oliver and John's heads swiveled around and stared at her. She closed her eyes for a second, fervently wishing she could turn back time, but when she opened them again, the pair of them still had their gazes trained at her.

''I- not mine, of course, I didn't say that!'' she said hurriedly, the words leaving her mouth before she could properly process them. ''I meant as my date-not that we're dating or anything, but she asked if you were my plus-one and I just said yes, you know for the invitations, and it doesn't mean anything, why would it-'' In her attempt to avoid looking at Oliver at all costs, her eyes landed on John; an action she quickly regretted. The man in front of her looked way too happy about the embarrassing situation she had created for herself; honestly, if his grin became any wider, it would be in danger of splitting his face in half.

''Felicity,'' Oliver said and his voice drew her to him, like a moth to a flame. ''Breathe.''

Felicity peered up at him, and to her relief his expression was nothing like Diggle's; his features were grazed by a soft smile, which was lighting up his eyes. He was looking at her with an unbearably fond expression, as if her claiming him as her own and the subsequent rambling that had ensued had been endearing rather than completely embarrassing. It was an expression that made her heart beat faster.

''What time is the party?'' Oliver asked.

It was obviously an attempt to get her to calm down and she exhaled loudly, feeling grateful. ''Naomi said it would start at about 9 p.m.''

''Okay, then, shall I pick you up at 9:30? I think in this case, being fashionably late is for the best.''

''Pick me up with what?'' she asked Oliver, ready to leave the whole _you're mine _fiasco behind them. ''In case you've forgotten, you no longer have a limousine, or a chauffeur to parade you around town,'' she informed him teasingly. ''And there is now way I'm riding on a motorcycle in a dress and high heels,'' she continued hastily, lest he got any ideas.

He seemed to be at a loss for words for a couple minutes and Felicity could only grin as she watched him trying to come up with a solution. Eventually, she decided to spare him.

''How about I come pick you up?'' she asked, smiling innocently at Oliver. ''I have a car and I know the way to John's house.'' Oliver had temporarily laid claim to John's living room couch, seeing as the Queen mansion was under the list of 'things yet to be determined if they still belong to Oliver or not'. It was a pretty lengthy name. Perhaps she should choose an alternative.

''Fine then, you can pick me up. 9:30 at Dig's appartment,'' Oliver said.

''As you wish,'' she replied with a small curtsy, which elicited a snort from Diggle.

''Now that that's all taken care of- '' Diggle started only to be interrupted by Felicity's outburst.

''Crap, I need to find a dress!'' she said, not really talking to anyone in particular as she started doing a mental inventory of her wardrobe. ''Please tell me I have a dress,'' she went on, directing her plea to the room in general and not really expecting any answer.

''Dress-that's right!'' Oliver said, drawing surprised glances from both John and Felicity.

''What's right?'' John asked, sounding confused. Oliver didn't grace him with an answer however. He merely mumbled a goodbye before hurrying out of the room.

''Okay, then,'' John commented, his eyebrows still raised at Oliver's retreating back. ''Felicity, I'm sorry but I have to go too,'' he said after a quick look at his watch. ''I promised Lyla we'd have lunch together.''

''Oh, of course,'' she told him. She hesitated before saying the next words, all too conscious of the way John had reacted the last time she had mentioned Lyla. ''Is everything alright between you two? I mean, with a baby and all, it's a pretty big deal.'' _Very smooth, Felicity. Good job. _

''It's fine,'' Diggle answered all too quickly. He looked at her for a couple of seconds before sighing. ''I don't know what to do, Felicity. A baby-that was never part of the plan. We just got back together, neither of us lead what you might call suitable lifestyles for a baby, and I just…'' he trailed off and Felicity put an arm to his shoulder, squeezing it in a manner she hoped conveyed sympathy.

''I don't know what to do,'' he said again, his voice betraying a bit of despair as he went on. ''I tried suggesting she cut back on her missions for A.R.G.U,S., maybe even take a maternity leave, but Lyla won't have it. And I can't say I blame her; that's who she is and I love her for it, only… Well, it was enough that I worried about her every time she went on a mission. Now I'm going to worry not about one, but about two people, one of which will be my son or daughter and I just, I don't know how to handle this.'' He gave a wry laugh. ''Some partner I am, huh?''

''No, John, don't say that,'' she told him in a comforting voice, determined to smother the warm, butterflies-in-the-stomach inducing memory the word her mind seemed determined to bring up at the mention of the word _partner_. ''It's perfectly logical to be worried in such a situation. God knows, I'd probably be losing my mind over it too.''

John's eyes widened at her words and she silently cursed the way her brain decided to say things. ''Okay, not helping. I just mean, it's normal to worry about Lyla and your child. But it'll be okay, John, you'll see. And I'm sure you're going to make a wonderful father,'' she told him, purposefully adding a lot of cheer to her words and trying to make them as convincing as possible.

She doubted John had been convinced, but the hug he gave her before leaving had been tighter than strictly expected and that, at least, made her feel a bit better. That is, until she realized she most likely did not have a dress for tomorrow night, and promptly started panicking again.

* * *

_The penguin looked exquisite in his black and white tuxedo as he sweeped her elegantly around the ballroom. She knew the rest of the couples looked at them in jealousy and admiration and she smiled smugly at herself. Detective Lance appeared suddenly at her side and she was just about to ask him if he wanted to dance, when he grabbed her arm forcefully. _

''_Felicity Smoak,'' he announced, his loud voice ringing around the room, ''you are being arrested for breaking and entering.''_

_What? Breaking and- ''No, there has to be a mistake,'' she said desperately as the detective dragged away from her dancing partner. ''I was invited, I swear!''_

_She turned around, in an attempt to release her arm from the detective's iron grip, when she came face to face with Oliver. He was drenched all over, the white shirt he was wearing having become transparent and his jeans clinging to his legs like second skin. He presented a very satisfying image in her opinion, but before she could let him know that (or suggest he remove the items of clothing, seeing as they were wet anyway), he grabbed her other arm and yanked her forcefully to him. _

_She let out a groan of pain at his manhandling, though it had the desired result; she was free from Detective Lance. Oliver slid his hand in hers next and urged her forward as he whispered in her ear, ''Run!'' She obeyed, and the next thing she knew, they were racing towards the exit, when suddenly, sirens started going off. Her first thought was that the detective had called for reinforcements. The next one was that they didn't really resemble sirens; the noise was more familiar and she struggled to place as the ringing persisted._

Felicity sat up reluctantly, the covers a mess around her. She squinted blearily at her alarm clock, holding it responsible for the offending noise, before realizing the source of it was coming from outside her bedroom. In fact, it was coming from… her front door?

Felicity got out of bed and padded through the living room to the front door, simultaneously plotting revenge against whoever dared interrupt her peaceful slumber and trying-and failing- to stifle a huge yawn. She yanked the door open, ready to give whoever was standing outside and ringing the bell so irritatingly a piece of her mind. At first glance, she could only make out a figure, probably a man, because the sun was too blinding. As her eyes adjusted, she could see her unwanted guest clearly and her mouth fell open as she identified him.

''_Oliver?_'' she said, her voice still gruff from sleep, but no less surprised. ''What the hell are you doing here?''

''I come bearing gifts,'' he repeated her own phrase from yesterday, only way more cheerfully than anyone had any right to be at such an hour.

''W…'' she trailed off as another yawn fought its way past her mouth and then ignored the resulting snort from Oliver (or person who now owes me several hours of sleep, as she had just decided to call him), ''What?''

''Gifts,'' he said, as if that explained everything. When Felicity did nothing save continuing to stare at him in a state of confusion and half-sleep, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gently guided her inside her house, closing the door behind him.

Now that the world didn't seem to be construed purely of blinding light, she felt better; even better when the person who owed her several hours of sleep went and fetched her a glass of cold water, which she downed gratefully. It had a ring to it-the name, not the glass of water- she thought, but before she could ponder whether Oliver would feel the same, he felt his arms shaking her lightly.

''Felicity?'' he asked, ''Are you with me?''

_Stupid question. _She was always with him. ''Yeah, sure,'' she replied, shaking her heads to clear away the few remaining tendrils of sleep. ''So, gifts,'' she said expectantly, more than a little curious now.

Instead of answering, Oliver just indicated to a large box he had place at her couch at some point. It was slim and expensive looking-and she hesitated going near it.

''What is it?'' she asked.

''Just open it,'' Oliver replied unhelpfully. She thought she could detect a hint of eagerness in his tone.

''Can't you just tell me what it is?'' she insisted. She didn't know why, but something about it made her feel weird.

Oliver just shook his head and smiled, evidently determined not to ruin her surprise. Grumbling under her breath, Felicity approached the box laid innocently on her couch and opened it; and her mouth fell open for the second time that morning.

''So, what d'you think?'' She could feel Oliver's smile even with her back to him.

''It… it's… I have no words,'' she said at length, which was quite truthful. She really didn't have any words to describe the content of the box-it was way too beautiful.

''Well, you were saying yesterday that you didn't have a dress for tonight, so I thought I'd help you out.''

''By buying me a dress that probably cost thousands of dollars?'' Felicity was incredulous now and she had to admit that the thought of checking him for fever or anything that might have messed with his head did cross her mind. The man in front of her merely shrugged.

''Oliver, I don't know if it has escaped your notice, but you're not a billionaire anymore. You're supposed to reduce your expenses and save up on money, not go around buying thousands-dollars-worth of dresses! _What were you thinking_?''

Oliver remained silent. Only this time, his face wasn't playful but serious, his gaze locking with hers, his eyes seeming to convey a thousand emotions at once. _It's you_, his eyes seemed to say and she didn't want to believe it. Except she did, more than anything, she wanted to believe that Oliver, despite having lost his fortune, despite having so many more important issues to deal with, despite knowing that this party was not a social outing, despite all that, he had gone out and bought her a dress, just because she was complaining yesterday that she didn't have one.

(Which was a lie. She had several, perfectly fine dresses in her closet, something she had been able to verify once she went home and covered every available surface of her bedroom in clothes; no need for buying a new one. Now was probably not the best time to mention it, though).

''Oliver,'' she started, and found, to her horror, that she sounded slightly choked-up. She cleared her throat and thankfully, the next words out of her mouth were in a normal tone. ''This is lovely and I can't thank you enough, but I can't accept it.''

''Of course you can,'' Oliver replied, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. ''What else am I supposed to do with it? I have many talents, but I doubt looking good in a dress is one of them.''

Felicity resisted the urge to roll her eyes. ''I can't,'' she insisted. ''It-it's too much.''

''It's not nearly enough,'' Oliver told her, his voice adopting a strange fierce sort of tone as he stared at her and the familiar warm feeling made its appearance once again. He opened his mouth again, but was interrupted by the buzzing in his pocket. He took out his phone and sighed at the name on the screen. ''And on that note, I have to go. I promised Walter I'd meet him in his office,'' he explained and Felicity was briefly reminded of the way Oliver had been shouting at his phone yesterday. Apparently Walter had been the unfortunate recipient of Oliver's anger. Felicity didn't envy him.

The man in question opened the door and had one foot on the threshold, before he turned back and said, ''Dig's apartment, 9:30. I expect to see you wearing the dress.'' And with that last ominous note, he left and Felicity was alone to hyperventilate.

In the end, despite her valiant tries – and they had been valiant, truly – she couldn't resist the dress, beckoning to her from inside its box. And it truly was wonderful-not that Felicity expected anything less from Oliver. It was a pale blue color with a cut that left the most of her back bare, hugging her curves as if it had been custom-made for her. Once she had put it on, it had proved simply impossible to exchange it for anything else.

Several hours of make-up and hair-styling later, she found herself parked outside John's apartment, ringing his bell. Instead of buzzing her up as she expected however, both Oliver and John exited the building, resulting in the three of them standing on the pavement.

John let out a whistle the moment he caught sight of her and Felicity smiled despite herself. She knew she looked good, and it had a lot less to do with her own vanity and a lot more with the brilliance of the dress; honestly, she suspected that dress would look amazing on anyone.

Oliver looked at her, opened his mouth, closed it and finally shook his head and headed for the car. Felicity's gaze followed him, trying not to show her disappointment and suspecting she was failing. John drew her in a hug and proclaimed that she looked absolutely gorgeous and she returned the hug and thanked him, but her confidence had somewhat dimmed. It didn't help that they spent the rest of the ride in tense, each looking at the road instead of each other. It was only when they arrived and Felicity suggested, in a sort-of strained voice that they go inside, that Oliver decided to break his silence.

''Wait,'' he said, taking hold of her hand. He raised his right hand and brought it close to her face; she was about to ask what he was doing when she felt a light tug at her hair and a strand came loose from the elaborate hairstyle she had spent hours in front of her mirror to accomplish. It brushed the top of her shoulder in soft curls. Oliver stepped back, the barest hint of smile on his lips.

''Felicity,'' he said in a low voice and she found herself leaning forward, eager for her next words, ''you are breathtaking.'' Then, without giving her any time to fully comprehend the words that had just left his mouth, he slid one arm across her waist and nodded at the hotel entrance in front of them.

''Shall we?'' he said and she let herself be guided inside, all the while intently aware of his hand sending shivers down her spine.


	3. Make Things So Complicated

**A/N: This chapter is once again dedicated to my amazing friend, who insisted I keep writing when I was being lazy and felt my writing was crap. Actually, I should pretty much dedicate the whole story to her, because I know if I don't, she'll just come to my house, steal my chair and sit there sulking until I do it. But, she's also full of brilliant ideas and a great cheerleader, so there's that. **

**Anyway, you don't care about that. I just want to say thank you to everyone, especially to the reviewers; you guys are awesome! This chapter is longer than the previous two, as a way to make for the fact that I don't know when the next update will be. Exams are coming up, which (unfortunately) means, I'll be studying pretty much all the time. I'll my best to write whenever I can and hopefully, it won't be _too long_ between updates. For now, I hope you enjoy this. Reviews are always more than welcome!**

* * *

The moment they stepped inside the hotel entrance, they were instantly inundated by flashing lights, loud music and the sight of way too many dressed-up people milling about, their voices mingling with the music. All in all, it created a rather intimidating sight, but it had the desired (or not, depending on how you looked at it) effect of distracting Felicity from the fact that Oliver's hand was placed on her bare back; not that this was something that affected her whatsoever, it just wasn't needed or wanted and Oliver really should find somewhere else to rest his fingers (which had now-_God_-started rubbing small circles on her skin), thank you very much.

_Was there really any point in lying to yourself?_

''So,'' she said, her lips coming dangerously close to his ear in order to make herself heard over the din.

''So,'' he repeated, mimicking her motions. They were both turned towards each other; to someone looking from afar it would probably look as though they were kissing. The moment the thought entered her mind, she attempted to put some distance between them. Only, she had forgotten the fact that high heels and sudden movements don't usually work well together, and that was how she found herself losing her balance on the polished floor and slipping backwards. The only thing that saved her from landing on her ass and making a spectacle of herself after having been in the room for less than five minutes was Oliver's hand-the one already placed on her back-which seemed to sense her upcoming embarrassment and tightened its hold on her, keeping her on her feet. It also had the added bonus of bringing her even closer to him.

''Are you alright?'' Oliver asked, his voice worried and his lips even closer now. It was hopeless.

''Yeah-yeah, I'm fine,'' she answered a little breathlessly. Oliver Queen had just sweeped her off her feet. Literally. _Of course._

For a few seconds they simply stood there, his arm encircling her waist, her body pressed up against his, before she let out a nervous laugh –which sounded more like a squeak really- and stepped back; this time careful to remain on her feet. His hand fell back to his side and she immediately missed the warmth of his touch.

_Stupid. _

''So,'' Felicity said again, feeling kind of foolish, but, for the life of her, not being able to come up with remotely more interesting to say. _Figures,_ she thought. Her mouth had the tendency to run loose at the most inopportune circumstances, but now, now that she had to make an actual conversation, it seemed unable to produce anything more than a two-lettered word.

Oliver opened his mouth, but before he could make a sound, she said, quite loudly, ''If you say so too, I swear to God…'' Oh, look, her mouth apparently worked now.

Oliver chuckled.

''_So,_'' he said and gave a bright grin in response to her glare, ''what do we do now?''

''What do you mean, what do we do? You're the one used to fancy things like this, you know all being a billionaire and all.''

''Yeah, but usually I just walk around pretending to be interested in whatever everyone is saying at the time,'' he replied with a shrug.

''Great help you are,'' she said, letting out a sigh.

''Also, usually, I'm the one invited.''

''Oh, please,'' Felicity said, her hand making a dismissive gesture. ''Naomi only invited me when she heard _The Great Oliver Queen_ would be my plus one.''

A shadow passed over Oliver's face at these words, an emotion gone too quickly for her to identify.

''Look,'' he started, and now there was a slight edge to his voice, ''the whole point of coming here was to see if we could find any information, any clues connecting Masaru Sano to the Mirakuru.''

''Yes, and we agreed that the best way to do that was for you to talk with him, pretend you're interested in his business and stuff, and see if you figure anything out.''

''_His business and stuff_?''Oliver quoted, his lips stretching in a smile that was almost mocking.

''Hey, I'm just an IT girl,'' she told him innocently.

He cast her a look which was much more serious than the situation called for (and which she had no desire to decipher), and said, ''Well, I can't just go up to him and say 'Hey, you have a nice company. I have a company too. Let's do business together. By the way, you wouldn't happen to possess a highly dangerous drug that can turn people to super soldiers, right?'''

Felicity had started to smile, but the smile was wiped from her face at his last words.

''Oliver, you don't think he really has any Mirakuru, do you?''

Her voice was low and hesitant, her tone betraying a fear she had attempted to convince herself was irrational from the moment Diggle had told them the rumors from A.R.G.U.S.

Whatever Oliver was about to say was never heard. One look at her face and he brought his hand up to lightly stroke her cheek in a soothing manner. ''I don't know,'' he admitted and looked as if it pained him to say these words. ''But I do know that if he does, we'll deal with it. Together. It won't be like last time, Felicity, I promise.''

_Last time. _When the city was attacked and destroyed, when people died, when she was used as bait in a desperate attempt to outthink the enemy…

''Felicity Smoak?''

A loud cheerful voice interrupted them and they both jumped apart hastily, as if they had been caught doing something wrong.

''Oh my God, look at you. You haven't changed at all!'' the voice went on, closer and closer, and finally Felicity could identify its owner.

''Naomi, hi,'' is all she had time to say before she found herself enveloped in tight hug she definitely did not expect. ''Um, you look great,'' she said after she was released. And she did. A curtain of glossy, straight dark hair fell down her back and the red dress she was wearing did wonders for her complexion. She was also half-way drunk, if the flush in her cheeks and the way she swayed almost imperceptibly on her heels was any indication.

''Oh, thank you darling,'' Naomi said, directing a blinding smile in her direction, before her gaze shifted to Felicity's left, and her smile stretched even more, if that was possible. And there was the sole reason Felicity had received such a warm welcome from someone who only acknowledged her existence once in a blue moon in college.

''Mr. Queen, '' Naomi practically purred and Felicity had to resist the sudden and very intense urge to roll her eyes. ''It is such an honor to have you attend my little birthday party.''

_This is little? _Felicity thought with a scoff as she took in the whole expanse of the room they were currently in, from the huge chandeliers hanging from the roof to the throng of people and the waiters who moved silently and expertly among them, carrying trays with appetizers and glasses of champagne and wine. One such waiter passed by them at that moment and Felicity grabbed a glass of red wine; she had a feeling she was going to need it.

Oliver eyes locked with hers momentarily and she knew he was thinking along the same lines as her, before he turned his attention back to Naomi.

''Please, call me Oliver,'' he said, bending his head to lay a kiss on her hand. ''Let me wish you a very happy birthday. A beautiful lady like yourself deserves all the best.''

By the end of his flirty little speech, Naomi was reduced to a giggling and blushing mess; Oliver's words had completed the job the drinks had begun. Oliver was still smiling widely at her, looking for all intents and purposes completely enamored with the young woman in front of him; yet it was all so fake Felicity had to turn away and raise the wine to her lips to hide her smirk. Oliver's whole demeanor was so different from the way she knew him to behave, that she found, to her surprise, that she did not feel even the slightest hint of jealousy while watching the two of them. She knew how Oliver really behaved when he was sincere, when he was attentive and sweet, even when he was flirting; and that knowledge warmed her deep inside better than any wine could have.

She had tuned out their conversation, too mixed up in her thoughts. When she made herself focus again, it was just in time to hear Naomi exclaim, in an animated tone, ''You simply must come with me; there are so many people dying to meet you! Felicity, you'll excuse us, won't you?'' and start dragging Oliver away, without waiting for a response from either of them.

Oliver shot her a look behind his shoulder as he trailed behind Naomi, her grip on his arm apparently having no intentions of loosening. Felicity just beckoned him forward; what else could she do? She could hardly demand that Oliver stay glued to her side all night, and besides, that was what they had been aiming for. Through Naomi, Oliver could find a way to get in touch with her father. She might even know something herself, not that Felicity believed for a second that Naomi was stupid enough to spill secrets about her father or his company to strangers, even if they were as handsome and mesmerizing as Oliver. Still, it was a start, a good one, and Felicity felt her spirits rise considerably. That was, until she realized she was now standing alone in the middle of huge room, in which she knew no one.

_Great. _

She stood there for a while, looking around the unfamiliar faces in the unfamiliar place, before shaking her head and heading straight for the bar. _There was a bar; as if the wandering waiters weren't enough_. She didn't really drink – with the exception of a few memorable occasions in college – and the thought of having to stare at a computer screen for hours, tracking down criminals or drug lords or whoever seemed intent on disturbing Starling City's (and more accurately their team's) peace of mind while nursing a hangover was more than effective in keeping her and any kind of strong drink apart. Which was a shame really, since she could think of more than enough cases in which she could have done with-

''Miss? Are you alright?'' the voice of the bartender shook her out of her thoughts and she realized – more belatedly than she would have liked – the she had been standing in front of the bar, lost in thought, her glass dangling from her fingers. She must have presented a pretty peculiar image.

''Oh, no, I'm fine,'' she said, shooting the man in front of her what she hoped was a convincing smile.

''Can I get you anything, then?''

Felicity opened her mouth to order whatever drink first came to mind, when she remembered she still had the glass of wine from earlier. She put it down on the counter, with what was probably more force than strictly necessary, making the red liquid slosh inside and come dangerously close to spilling out.

''Right,'' the man said, eyeing the glass somewhat warily. ''Have fun,'' he told her then, accompanying his sentence with a wink, before promptly turning his back to her and tending to rest of the people waiting to be served.

Felicity felt a mighty urge to bury her face in her hands and not emerge until it was time to leave, the only thing stopping her being the thought that that would be even more embarrassing; and not all that helpful, honestly.

It was on her third swallow and the fifth time she had scanned the room, telling herself she was just looking around, yet somehow her gaze always finding Oliver, when another male voice, this one more familiar, yet no less surprising, was heard from behind her.

''What is a woman like yourself doing here, drinking all alone?''

Felicity choked on her drink, forcing herself to swallow the mouthful of wine before she was able to talk.

''Chris? Is that you? What are you doing here?'' she exclaimed, twisting in her seat to look at the fair-haired man in front of her.

''Hello to you too, Felicity,'' he said in an amused voice.

''Right, I'm sorry, hi! I'm just surprised to see you.''

''You too. Have to say, you haven't changed a bit.''

''Kind of like your pick-up lines,'' she shot back with a smile.

''Fair enough,'' he allowed, his smile mirroring her own. ''It is good to see you, though.''

Felicity nodded. Chris Richards was one of the few people from her college days that she wouldn't mind meeting again. It was strange, really, if you thought about it. She had met Chris sophomore year, after literally bumping into him on the way to her dorm and causing the stack of books she was carrying to fall down, one of them landing straight on his leg. Instead of the disgruntled expression or the stream of curses for her clumsiness that she expected however, he simply looked at her before bending down to help retrieve her books. He remained silent while she rambled herself to an apology, only to smile at the end and escort her to her room despite her protests, half her books in his arms.

They sat on her bed for hours on end, talking and laughing. They found out they had several classes together along with a lot of common interests, so conversation was easy to flow between them. He ended up not leaving her dorm room until late at night that day, and by the end of the semester the two of them had become fast friends. When Chris kissed her the day before winter break and told her in no uncertain terms that he liked her and wanted to take their relationship to the next level, Felicity thought it only natural to agree. Chris was a great guy, smart and funny, a good listener and not a half-bad kisser. She enjoyed spending time with him, and if, from now on, that included kissing, well, she didn't really have a problem with that.

Sometimes she thought it was a bit cliché, the way their relationship had happened. But Chris didn't seem to care and she was having a good time, so why worry?

Just as she had found it natural, however, to start a relationship with him, she found it just as natural that she had to end it. She apologized profusely to Chris, told him in every way that she could that it wasn't his fault, it was her, she needed to study even harder, she didn't have enough time to devote to him and it wouldn't be fair to either of them. For all that she worried their relationship was cliché, she had ended it in the most clichéd way possible. And it was true, what she had said, mostly. Because there was another reason that she didn't dare utter, the fact that there was no passion, no relentless need to see him, touch him, be with him. He was just there and so was she and it was enough until it wasn't.

Chris thankfully, had taken the news of their breakup well, insisting that they remain friends, and even if they had had minimal contact since college had ended, she was still able to sit next to him and joke now; and for that she was grateful.

''So, what are you doing here? I never pegged you for the type to be friends with Naomi Sano, much less get invited to her _illustrious _b-day party.''

''It's sort of a long story,'' Felicity said vaguely, not really feeling up to explain she was here because she worked with The Arrow and they needed to see if the father of the birthday girl had any connection to a miraculous drug that turned people into Hulk-like mass-murderers. At best, he'd think she was crazy. ''How come you're here, though?'' she asked, partly because she was eager to shift the focus of the conversation from herself to him, and partly because she was truly curious. ''Finally realized Naomi is the one for you?''

''God no,'' he said and gave a mock-shudder. Chris had never liked Naomi and had made sure everyone knew it. ''I doubt she even knows I'm here. But, apparently, working for the family company gives me an automatic invite to such events; something I could really live without, let me tell you…''

He went on talking, but Felicity's mind had zeroed on one thing; ''You work for Masaru Sano?'' she asked, a bit too eager than was probably normal, but she couldn't care for that right now. ''Do you know him?''

''No, not really,'' Chris replied, looking confused at her sudden interest in his employment. ''My line of work doesn't really have anything to do with the CEO.'' He carried on, describing exactly what it was he did for a living, but Felicity tuned him out, somewhat disappointed, her eyes seeking out Oliver once again. He was across the room from her, Naomi standing right beside him, her face vibrant as they talked. There didn't seem to be anyone else close to them. _So much for the many people who wanted to meet him, _she thought bitterly. Turning away, she refocused her attention on Chris, who had now moved on to reminiscing about their 'carefree college days' as he called them.

''Are you looking for someone?'' he asked her after a while.

''Huh? No, I'm not looking for anyone.''

''I'm just saying, your eyes keep straying around the room. It seemed as though you were looking for someone.''

''Oh,'' Felicity said eloquently, fighting to keep a blush off her cheeks as she realized what Chris was talking about. She had kept sneaking glances at Oliver throughout their conversation, each time finding him in the same place, next to Naomi, and each time having to tell herself she didn't care. It was just rude, you know? Monopolizing the hostess and all. And, more than likely, there were people here who would like to meet Oliver Queen. So, it was rude of them to just stand there together, not giving anyone else the chance to meet them. There, see? Perfectly reasonable. And rude. Definitely that.

''Don't worry about it,'' Chris told her with a smile. ''How about I get us some drinks?''

Felicity agreed and her eyes promptly went back to looking for Oliver. She let out a sigh at her behavior, only to have it cut short when she realized neither Oliver nor Naomi were where they had been all this time. Apprehension rose inside her as her eyes traveled around the room as quickly as possible, her worry only rising with each moment that passed and she could not spot him. She was about to excuse herself to Chris and go looking for him, when she finally caught sight of a familiar silhouette out of the corner of her eye. He was heading away from the room, towards a set of large doors, accompanied not by Naomi this time, but rather by a tall, bearded man who could only be Masaru Sano, at least according to the pictures Felicity had seen of him on the internet. She let out another sigh, this one filled with relief, waving away Chris's questioning look as he returned with a glass in each hand. Finally, it seemed like their plan was working.

Felicity did her best to focus on Chris then, purposefully pushing down any worrying thoughts about what could be happening to Oliver (it was a party after all, she had been the one to point that out, nothing wrong would happen, _relax, Smoak, seriously_).

''So, what about you? Are you seeing anyone?'' Chris asked her (after about half an hour of trading quips back and forth, they had arrived at the topic of relationships, much to Felicity's chagrin), a weird gleam in his eyes that Felicity didn't care to think too much about, instead opting for her usual open mouth-insert foot reply.

''Not really, no,'' she said, letting out an awkward laugh. ''I mean, it's kinda hard to meet anyone when I'm spending almost all my time with my boss.''

The second the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to take them back, but of course, life didn't work that way. No, life seemed to relish in giving her opportunities to make a fool of herself by insinuating she was sleeping with her boss in front of her ex-boyfriend.

_Isn't that just perfect?_

Chris was looking her, understandably surprised, and Felicity racked her brain for a suitable explanation while a little voice in her head happily informed her that things could hardly get worse, when she heard someone call her name, as if he had been summoned by the mere, indirect mention of him, and realized, that yes, things could indeed get worse.

''Felicity,'' Oliver's voice was heard again, much closer. In what seemed no time at all, he had reached her side, taking in the scene in front of him with an inscrutable expression. ''What are you doing?''

''Uh, sitting? Drinking?'' she said, determined to behave as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. ''It's a party, Oliver, what am I supposed to do?''

Oliver looked as though he had several suggestions as to what she could have been doing, but before he could open his mouth, Chris intervened, most likely sensing the tense atmosphere.

''Chris Richards,'' he said, extending a hand towards Oliver, ''nice to meet you.''

''Oliver Queen,'' Oliver replied curtly, his gaze lingering on him for a couple seconds before he turned back to Felicity and put an arm around her shoulders.

If Chris knew who Oliver was, he didn't show any sign of it, merely inclining his head politely. ''Care to join us for a drink?''

Oliver ignored him. ''We need to go,'' he told Felicity, his hand still firmly on her shoulders.

''Oliver!'' Felicity hissed, throwing an apologetic look at Chris.

''It's okay,'' Chris smiled at her, before directing his next words to Oliver. ''I'm sorry, I didn't mean to monopolize your date.''

''I'm not his date!'' Felicity exclaimed. She realized, somewhat belatedly, that despite her proclamation, she hadn't shaken Oliver's hand off her. She wriggled slightly in her seat and Oliver seemed to get the message, for he stepped back, his hand falling to his side rather aimlessly, as if he didn't know what to do with it anymore. She looked up at him and - she must have been imagining things because she could've sworn Oliver expression was a mix between hurt and jealousy as his gaze went from her to Chris.

''Felicity,'' Oliver said and his voice now was low and insistent (and she would never admit it to anyone, ever, but she loved the way her name sounded coming from his lips), ''we really need to go. Now.''

''Why? Is something wrong?'' she asked and her mind was immediately filled with numerous disastrous scenarios of what could have happened while Oliver was talking with Masaru Sano.

Instead of saying anything, Oliver just turned his back and headed away from them, toward the exit. Felicity felt her worry rise and she hastily mumbled an apology and goodbye to Chris, who, to her surprise, leaned forward and placed a kiss on her cheek, whispering how he'd like to see her again, before he too got up and left. She stood immobile for a minute, her mind trying to make sense of what had just happened when she remembered Oliver and hurried to meet him.

She eventually caught up to him just outside the doors leading to the main room, where merriment was still plenty. Naomi would definitely be pleased.

''Oliver, wait,'' she called out to him, slightly breathless. ''Where are you going?''

''To get the car,'' he answered simply.

''The car? But-wait-what's going on? What's wrong?''

''Wrong? There's nothing wrong,'' he said calmly.

''Nothing wro - then why were you in such a hurry to leave?'' Felicity asked, feeling more confused every second.

Oliver's expression hardened. ''Sorry I interrupted your flirting.''

''My what? My flirting? What are you talking about?''

Oliver remained silent as Felicity tried to understand exactly when in the course of this afternoon had she entered the twilight zone, because nothing made sense, until…

''Oh, you have got to be kidding me!'' she cried, unwittingly attracting the attention of those next to them. ''You think I was flirting with Chris? That's why you went all caveman? We were just talking, Oliver, he's an old friend and then you showed up and behaved as if something bad had happened-'' Felicity knew she was starting to ramble again and she was close to shouting, but she didn't care, ''and I was so worried something had happened to you, but apparently you just like being a rude jerk, don't you? Are you out of your mind?''

Felicity took a deep breath, but before she could go on, Oliver apparently decided to prove that he was, indeed, out of his mind, because he just took two steps towards her, placed his hands on her cheeks and the next thing she knew his lips were moving against hers and oh. _Oh. _

Felicity stood frozen for a second, but then her mind seemed to realize what was happening, because her hands lifted of their own accord and cradled his neck and she was kissing him back with all she had, sensations running wild inside her.

Despite the obvious temper of the both of them, the kiss was more gentle than Felicity could have imagined, Oliver's lips soft and willing, his mouth opening at the light probing of her tongue. One of his hands remained on her cheek, but the other moved to get tangled up in her hair. He was probably ruining her hairstyle and Felicity couldn't care less, not when Oliver's breath was hot against her face and she was pulling him closer and closer, until their bodies were completely aligned, the hard evidence of his arousal pressed against her and making her lightheaded.

She tilted her head slightly to the left and God, this was great and Oliver swallowed the moans that threatened to escape her as his tongue did things to her that were probably illegal in several countries. Her hand traveled down, gripping the fabric of his suit hard enough to cause wrinkles as Oliver pressed a wet, open-mouthed kiss to her jaw. She let her head fall back, unable to remember that they weren't alone, that they were in a public space and their behavior was hardly decent; all her mind could produce was a never-ending litany of _Oh my God, Oh my God, yes, fuck, yes._

She had dreamt of this so many times, wondered how it would be like, conjured up countless scenarios, yet all of them paled to the reality of what was happening right now, with Oliver's hand in her hair, his mouth on hers and her heart beating so fast she felt as if it would leap out of her chest.

Oliver was whispering something, in the brief pauses between his kisses and Felicity had to strain her ears until she realized it was her name, whispered fervently and with so much affection,(and if she thought she liked the way he said her name before, it was nothing compared to how it made her feel now), that made Felicity want to hold on to him and never let go, Instead, she kissed him with even more fervor, her tongue sliding against his in a delicious motion that sent shivers down to her toes. This was it, this was what they were meant to do and she couldn't comprehend why they had wasted so much time dancing around each other, each denying what they obviously both craved; but it didn't matter now, now she had him, now she knew what kissing Oliver Queen was like and she had no intention of stopping-

A loud crushing sound made them both jump and pull away from each other. Felicity looked around bewildered, her mind still caught up in the feeling of Oliver's lips on hers as she spotted the cause of the noise; it looked like one of the guests had stumbled and bumped into a waiter, sending both the unfortunate man and the tray he was carrying crashing down on the floor.

Felicity watched in a sort of daze as people swarmed over the fallen waiter, surrounded by broken glass pieces, when a small cough came from her left and she turned to see Oliver shuffling awkwardly and avoiding her gaze and the events of the last few minutes came slamming into her and _shit. _

She had kissed Oliver. Oliver had kissed her. And he had liked it, that much had been glaringly obvious. Except now he looked as if he deeply regretted all his actions and Felicity didn't know how she was supposed to react. Yell at him? Ask him why the hell he had kissed her? Drag him back and kiss him again? Her body seemed to react favorably to the last choice and that was when Felicity knew she had to leave, because if she stood there one more second, looking at Oliver and his kiss-swollen lips and his disheveled clothes, she didn't think she could be held responsible for what her next actions would be.

''I-I think we should go,'' she said and mentally cursed her voice for sounding so hesitant and trembling, but Oliver gave no signs of noticing, just nodded silently and let her lead the way to the exit.

The cold air outside was refreshing, but far from helpful and they spent the entire car ride in awkward, stifling silence. Felicity wanted to slump in relief when they finally stopped and she was able to get out of the car; only to have it cut short when she realized she had driven straight to her house without a second thought. And that was fine, except for one little problem. Oliver did not live at her house.

''Oh, God, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking,'' she said in a rush. ''Get in, I'll take you back to John's.''

''No, it's okay,'' he told her quickly. ''I'll just take a cab.''

''But it's my fault, I should be the one-''

''It's fine, really. I don't mind,'' he assured her and after a couple of minutes of continuing to offer to give him a lift, she gave up and made to enter her building after murmuring goodbye.

''Felicity,'' Oliver's voice stopped her in her tracks and as she turned around she found her gaze locking with his; it was the first time he looked at her after the kiss they had shared. ''I-I just wanted to say-''

''It's okay, Oliver,'' she cut him off, suddenly feeling immensely tired. All she wanted was to go home and climb under the covers in her bed; something familiar to counter all those foreign senses and feelings and experiences that she didn't know how to deal with.

''But I-'' Oliver started but she stopped him once again. She was pretty sure she knew what he was going to say and she didn't think she could bear to hear him describe what had happened between them as an accident, a mistake never to be repeated again, (even if that was most likely what it was). Not when her lips were still tingly from his kisses.

''It's okay,'' she said again _(It's not), _''I understand.'' _(She didn't, she really didn't). _

Oliver looked to be at a loss for words, but she just smiled tiredly at him and turned her back, unlocking the door and disappearing from view, all the while having _that scene _play again and again in the back of her mind.

She barely got two hours of sleep that night.


	4. Denial Solves Everything

_You are breathtaking._

Punch.

_Fingers splayed on a waist, causing shivers at the connection._

Punch.

_You just like being a rude jerk, don't you?_

Punch.

_Lips soft against his mouth, hands cradling his neck._

Punch.

_I love you. _

Punch.

_Do you understand?_

Punch.

_I love you. I love you. I love you. IloveyouIloveyouIloveyouIloveyou._

Punch!

''I'm sure whatever the punching bag did, it's very sorry,'' came a voice from behind him.

Oliver rolled his eyes and delivered one final punch – admittedly a much more mild one – before he turned to face Diggle, who had made himself comfortable on a black leather chair in the meantime.

''So, are you done abusing the punching bag? Because I'd really rather not have to drag another punching bag here, just cause you destroyed the last one. Punching bags are not exactly light, you know.''

''If I say yes, will you stop saying 'punching bag'?''

''Maybe,'' Diggle said with a smirk.

Oliver merely shook his head and sat down next to him.

''Seriously though, is something wrong?'' Diggle asked, concern lacing his tone. ''Did anything happen last night?''

''No, no, nothing happened!'' Oliver was quick to exclaim; perhaps too quick judging from Diggle's expression. ''Why, did Felicity tell you something happened?''

''No, we haven't talked after you two left for the party. Speaking of which, did you get a chance to talk to Sano?''

''Yeah, I did actually,'' Oliver replied, willing his mind to focus on the situation at hand and not on blonde hair and red lips. Lips that had felt amazing against his, making him think he'd gladly spend the rest of his life kissing them.

''So? How did it go? Oliver?'' Digg's voice shook out of the dangerous direction his thoughts were taking.

''Yeah, sorry.'' _Get it together, Queen! _''I told his daughter something about thinking of expanding Queen Consolidated and being interested in her father's company; thankfully she didn't suspect anything. Sano is another deal, though. Pretty sure he saw right through my excuse. He didn't say anything,'' Oliver added at Diggle's worried look, ''but I just got the feeling he knew I was lying and was just playing along to see how far I'd take it.''

''So, it was all for nothing?''

''Well, I'm pretty sure he doesn't have any connections to Mirakuru; at least he never even hinted at it. But, he definitely has an agenda. Coming back to Starling City wasn't only because he wanted to celebrate his daughter's birthday.''

''He can have all the agendas he wants as long they don't have to do with a crazy Japanese drug,'' Diggle said in a dismissive tone.

''I don't know.'' Oliver shook his head ''He was way too interested in my company and its future; my future too. I may be paranoid, but I don't think we should disregard him just yet.''

''Oliver, I'd say after everything that's happened, you've earned every right to be paranoid,'' Diggle said and Oliver let out a wry laugh. ''We'll keep an eye on him, see what he gets up to while he's in Starling.''

Oliver nodded gratefully, before Diggle's next question made him shift uncomfortably in his chair.

''Enough about Sano. What's going on with you, man?''

''What do you mean?''

''I mean you look like a mess. Did you even get any sleep last night? And don't say yes because I heard you moving around at like four in the morning.''

''If you already know the answer, why bother asking me?''

Diggle just gave a shrug. ''I figure it looks good on me if I pretend to care about my boss every once in a while.''

''I'm not your boss, Diggle,'' Oliver said, with more seriousness than Digg's joking comment merited. ''I don't think I ever was.''

Diggle's mouth turned into a small smile. ''Well, as my not-boss is clearly not okay, I think I can ask; what's on your mind, man?''

''It's nothing, really,'' Oliver said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. ''I'm just worried about Sano and I didn't get a good night's sleep, like you said… Y'know, it's nothing, I'm probably just tired.''

He could tell Diggle didn't quite believe him, but to his relief the man didn't press the issue. That was one of the good things about Diggle; he knew when someone wanted to talk and when they wanted to avoid the subject altogether.

''Alright then,'' he said, getting up from his chair and making a show of stretching his muscles. ''You up for getting more tired? I could do with some sparring.''

''Sure, why not?'' Oliver said, following Diggle away from where they had been sitting.

''''Good. Cause, let me tell you, I'd rather not wake up in the middle of the night due to some mad-man walking around the house like an insomniac zombie,'' he said, eliciting a snort from Oliver. ''Or else I might think you're a burglar and knock you out.''

This time Oliver's snort was more derisive. ''Care to put your money where your mouth is?''

''Oh, is that how it's gonna be?'' Diggle said, a smirk playing in his lips as he got into position.

''Bring it, big guy!''

* * *

She was being a coward. She knew it and was pretty sure if the walls of her bedroom, where she had collapsed last night could talk, they would waste no time informing her they knew it as well. Which was precisely why she needed to get out of there.

So. She knew she was a coward. What she didn't know, was what she was supposed to do next. There wasn't exactly a handbook waiting around with helpful information about what to do when your sort-of-sometimes-boss-sometimes-partner-whom-you-may-or-may-not-have-a-big-time-crush-on kisses you after having said he loves you only in order to defeat a crazy villain. And wow, when she thought of it like that, it sounded nothing sort of ludicrous. Seriously, when did this become her life?

_Oh, yeah. Right around the time he came to you with the most ridiculous excuses and called you his partner and his girl and you fell for every single line, hook, line and sinker. _

Okay, that wasn't fair. She didn't doubt that Oliver meant all those things he had said to her, and that their interactions reflected his true feelings every time – _not every time, _a little voice in her head was quick to remind her, but she did her best to shove it down. She had to let that go. It was one time, one incident and it was done now. So what if there had been five –amazing, impossible – seconds when she had believed him? So what if she couldn't get the way his lips felt against hers out of her mind? _She had to. _They had a good thing going, they were friends; she and Oliver and Diggle were a team and she'd be damned if she let some unrequited feelings get in the way of all they had accomplished together. (Although just how unrequited these feelings were was a whole other discussion-and one she wouldn't be having any time soon).

Oliver was her friend, her partner and whatever this thing between them was, it was threatening to destroy that relationship. Which was the last thing Felicity wanted. If having to pretend she felt nothing for Oliver other than friendship was what it took to keep things they way they are, then she would damn well do it. She had lost enough people already; she wasn't about to lose one more. And if he had to pretend to…so be it. Felicity could still remember his words when they had come back from Russia, and he hadn't given any indication that had changed. So, maybe they would both have to pretend and maybe that was for the best. And maybe she should stop being a coward and hiding in her bedroom instead of going out where she was needed, (besides, if the kiss from last night kept playing on a loop in her mind, she might very well go crazy).

By the time she reached her destination, she felt decisive and ready to turn a new page and leave the past behind – and whatever other synonyms you could think of - she was there for it. Or at least she was, until she announced her presence with a cheery hello and Oliver startled so bad he almost fell flat on his ass.

_Great. _Seemed like Oliver hadn't gotten the memo about them turning a new page and acting cool around each other.

Still, she could help the giggle that escaped her and it only got worse when Diggle let out a loud guffaw of laughter and muttered something about money and mouths that Felicity didn't really catch.

Probably for the best, though. Anything that had to do with Oliver's mouth was better far away from her.

''So, are you boys enjoying yourselves?'' she asked with a bright grin, while Diggle was still sniggering and Oliver was glaring at both of them as he got up.

''Hilarious,'' he said in a voice that Felicity was sure was meant to be strict, but it only served to send both her and Diggle in another round of laughter.

By the time they had calmed down – it wasn't that funny, really, but every time they stopped they would see Oliver giving them the stink-eye and they'd be gone again – all three sat down and Diggle filled her in on what she had missed; namely Oliver's meeting with Sano. By the time he was done neither of them were smiling and Felicity was having a hard time not bombarding Oliver with questions to make sure he's okay.

''That's why I was… not exactly polite yesterday,'' Oliver told her and it's the first time he's spoken to her since last night. He seemed to have trouble meeting her eyes, but she held her gaze steady, trying to communicate through her eyes that it's alright, she understands. If Sano was the reason Oliver had been so upset and not her 'flirting' with Chris, as he had led her to believe, she had even more reason to stick with the decision she had taken earlier. Oliver needed a friend right now, someone he could depend on and she was willing to be that for him. (Only she wished he would put a shirt on, because she's only human and honestly, there's only so much self-control she should be expected to have).

Her wish was granted soon and the three of them spent the rest of the time discussing Sano and what his plan could be and how it would affect them. Felicity was just about to suggest she call Naomi and invite her for lunch as a thank-you for the invitation, in a way to try and see if she could gauge some information out of her concerning her father's plan. She had barely opened her mouth when they heard footsteps followed by a familiar female voice.

''Ollie? Are you here?''

''Right here,'' Oliver called out before he stood and headed towards the direction the voice was coming from. Felicity and Diggle sat up as well, moving far enough to see Oliver reentering the room with Laurel in tow.

''So, this is your lair,'' Laurel observed, looking around curiously after everyone had greeted each other. ''Pretty cool.''

''What brings you to our _pretty cool lair_?'' Oliver asked.

''I- didn't mean to intrude,'' Laurel started, a bit hesitant, but went on after being reassured she wasn't doing anything of the kind, ''I've been going stir-crazy; there're only so many times I can clean my apartment before I have to admit I have I have a problem.'' She let out a laugh which was echoed by Oliver. '' There's nothing remotely interesting at work, Dad's still in hospital, though they've finally moved him out of the E.R., Mom left practically the moment we found out he was going to be fine and Sarah's…'' she trailed off and her expression fell momentarily. ''Well, she's not here, so I don't really have anything to do. Figured, since now I know about you being the Arrow and all that, I could come here, see what all the fuss is about.''

''Well, you're welcome to hang out here whenever you want, though I'm afraid there's not nearly as much fuss as you might have expected.''

''You're always good company, Ollie, don't worry,'' she told him with a smile.

Felicity wanted very much to say that no, he wasn't; Oliver could be moody, rude and downright unpleasant company for anyone when he felt like it, (not that it affected her feelings for him in the slightest-which should tell her something about how bad she had it), but she held back. She had a feeling her input would not be all that appreciated at the moment.

They talked for a few more minutes until Laurel voiced an interest in maybe getting some exercising while she was here and Oliver was quick to volunteer to teach her.

''I guess I'll stay here and scan for… something,'' Felicity muttered, mostly to herself as she settled behind the computer screens, but she heard Diggle's snort before he went to join Laurel and Oliver.

* * *

That had been their pattern for the last two weeks. Laurel would join them whenever she had a chance – which was pretty much everyday – and she and Oliver would train, Diggle joining them when he felt the need for some exercise. Felicity had partaken in the team exercise a few times, though it usually ended with her sprawled on the floor in various positions and stiff joints afterwards. Mostly, she stayed in the computer area, even though there wasn't much to do there either. She had tried tracing Roy's footsteps after he left Starling, but all she managed to find were vague trails that suggested he was somewhere in Central City. The boy sure knew how to cover his tracks. There were no news of Barry. Thea had proven to be completely untraceable, much to Oliver's anger and mounting worry. Her and Oliver's relationship was strained. Despite her best efforts to pretend that nothing had happened between them, there was a lingering awkwardness lacing their interactions, along with something else, a feeling Felicity refused to acknowledge, much less give a name to. All in all, she found herself wanting a distraction and fast; so when Chris's call came, asking her to dinner, she didn't think twice about saying yes.

That was how she found herself sat across from her college boyfriend in one of the fanciest restaurants in Starling City, laughing almost to tears at one of his stories.

''Seriously,'' she said after catching her breath, ''you should have been a comedian. You're wasted in business.''

''I know, right?'' he smiled. ''I'm glad you're having a good time.''

''Are you kidding? It's the best time I've had in weeks!'' she exclaimed and she couldn't help but smile at how his face lit up at her words.

''That's good, though I'm not as presumptuous to think it's all because of my dazzling personality.''

''Well, that's definitely a very important factor,'' Felicity joked. ''It's been a weird couple of weeks, that's all. It's nice to be away from everything, to be able to relax.''

''At your service,'' he replied teasingly, trying to mimic a bow as well as he could while sitting down; which resulted in him almost getting a faceful of pasta and sending Felicity laughing again.

''Seriously though, I understand it must've been hard for you,'' Chris said and Felicity had about three seconds to panic about what he could mean before he went on, ''I've heard what happened with Oliver Queen's company. He was your boss, right?''

''How-how do you know that?'' she asked, feeling slightly flummoxed.

''It's not exactly top-secret,'' he replied with an exaggerated wink in her direction. ''I'd heard some nasty rumors from people working at Queen Consolidated, about how Oliver Queen's new personal assistant was just an I.T girl who had slept with him to get a promotion. After I met you at the Naomi's it wasn't hard to put two and two together.''

''It's not true!'' Felicity said loudly, quite a bit of anger surging inside her. ''I mean, I was working with Oliver, but I never slept with him! The decision to make me his personal assistant was entirely his, I didn't even want it!''

''Whoa, no need to shout. I believe you. I know you're not the kind of girl to sleep your way to the top,'' Chris told her in a soothing tone, attempting to alleviate her temper. ''Just to be clear though, is there really nothing going on between you two?''

Felicity rolled her eyes. ''No, there isn't. Oliver and I are just friends, that's all.''

''Good,'' Chris said simply and Felicity was left at a loss on what to say to that. Something told her Chris wasn't just glad the rumors about her sleeping with Oliver for a better job were false. And if that was the case, she really didn't want to think what his _good_ entailed.

Thankfully, she was spared from having to reply by the sound of her phone ringing. As she took it out of her purse however, she found herself staring in disbelief at the screen, which depicted a number she never would have imagined would be calling her.

''Mom?''

* * *

**A/N: Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you; this is a new chapter! I know it's been quite a while since I last updated this story and I'm really sorry, but I've simply been swamped with exams and after that preparations to go on vacation with friends-basically my free time has been non-existent. I'm finally done with everything, however and I'm leaving on vacation tomorrow; when I return, things will a lot less hectic, meaning faster updates. For now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter; I know it wasn't all that exciting, but it was necessary for the plot to advance. Next chapter should be much more interesting-and updated a lot faster. Reviews are always welcome, of course, and highly appreciated!**


End file.
